How's that? Michael says that if Electronic Arts (ERTS) manages
to buy Take-Two, it might want to hold the game for next fall,
and pump up its Q4.

"I think if EA takes over Take-Two, they have an economic
incentive to delay [Grand Theft Auto IV]."

We're not sure when this show was taped: The segment with this
quote seems to have been posted this weekend, and the first
segment looks like it's from two weeks ago. But even if Michael
had made his comments two months ago, they wouldn't have made any
sense.

To sum up: After a major delay last fall, TTWO announced in
January that it would GTA IV would
go on sale April 29. A launch this size -- its the biggest
videogame of the year -- involves a dizzying, interlocking series
of marketing and logistical plans: Assembling media hits, buying
airtime, working with retailers to secure floorspace and
promotional deals, getting the actual games out of the warehouse
and into stores, etc. Busting that up within a few weeks of
launch date for any reason would be a catastrophe, and
if EA was doing it purely for financial engineering reasons, it'd
be worse.

This also assumes that EA and TTWO could consumate a deal within
weeks, which wouldn't happen even the two companies stopped
fighting tooth-and-nail. If TTWO accepted the EA deal today, the
two companies would need weeks just to get the deal ok'd by
shareholders. We don't expect Michael's fellow guests on the
"Bonus Round" to know any better. But he ought to.